The three Brownsville Independent School District trustees running for re-election and who also have the endorsement of BEST-AFT answered questions from the union at a recent forum at the Brownsville Public Library.
Prisci Roca Tipton, the BISD board vice president, Board Secretary Denise Garza, and Trustee Drue Brown each expressed gratitude for the endorsement, and for the opportunity to discuss important issues.
BEST-AFT stands for Brownsville Educators Stand Together. The union is in the process of becoming AFT certified.
At the outset, Esmeralda Garcia Barrajas, one of two forum moderators, said BEST-AFT follows the friendly incumbency rule, “meaning these endorsed candidates have listened and voted on many issues that concern certified and classified employees.”
All three candidates strongly supported the Texas Association of School Boards market study to bring BISD employees up to market value. Answering a follow-up question, each said they would work toward placing all employees on a hiring schedule that includes a step increase every year.
Garza said when she came on the board in 2020 she knew TASB had come in and done a market study on certified and classified employees. Some were saying they wanted to go back to the old scale, but the old scale was not even comparable to current conditions.
“So I understand we want to go through a scale but I am more focused on making sure that our teachers are at market value with any other teacher in the state of Texas. That way they know that if they come to BISD they’re not going to be losing any money, whether Harlingen, Los Fresnos or even San Antonio, that they’re going to come to us, you know, making a comparable amount to what they’re making at their current district.”
BISD granted $4,000 across-the-board raises for teachers, librarians and professional support staff in 2022-2023, along with a $15 minimum wage for all classified employees including bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and others.
Brown said she strongly supports the TASB market study model.
“I think that we are at the point now where we’re constantly modifying and looking at the TASB model to increase and I like the idea of our librarians in BISD are being paid comparable say to librarians in Dallas or Plano. I don’t want models that are based just on the Valley because at one point that’s what was done,” she said.
“I support scales that are based on state averages, a market value across the state for each specific position and we’re getting to that point. In some of our cases now were 80% of midpoint, 90% of market value. Things like that And I do like the idea that TASB works with districts across the state and that we’re lining up with those other districts. And I’m not quite sure this is the answer y’all are looking for but this is how I feel. … It’s not something we can fix ourselves We do need to bring in people that understand salaries across the state so that we become competitive and comparable to everybody in the state and so that’s what I support,” she said.
Brown welcomed being asked about step increases.
“For as long as I can remember we’ve had step increases. Somewhere along the line they disappeared That’s why we’re in trouble today. …Even now, and it was hard this year to get the raises we got, but even now we’re not at the top of the Valley. I think we’re kind of toward the lower end and none of us are happy about that, and so part of that is exactly what these ladies said. Market value, TASB and also bringing back the step increase.”
